The Aftermaths
by Quarantine.Wings
Summary: She simply wanted to save her sister. To get the two of them out safely. Now, she has to deal with returning to normalcy, in a world that is not quite normal anymore. In a world where she is suddenly not as needed. A world where Mayu doesn't exist. The isolation of suddenly being alone. A POV from Mio Amakura, beginning from the end of FF2 to the events in FF3 and after.
1. Chapter 1

Mio could barely take any more of this.

She could barely stand it now, and wondered what it was that still held her up.

At first it had been Mayu. Then getting out of that village. Then they would go home and everything would return to normal.

Her mind flashed back to her own hands around her neck, strangling the person she had been trying so hard to save.

It had been so simple and she shuddered at how easily she took it.

"Mayu!" She tripped and fell, but that did not slow her down. She found herself crawling and tumbling until she was on her feet once more. Branches tugged at her clothes and hair. The jostling upset her already existing wounds. The hands of ghosts she could still feel in her skin, a touch so cold it felt it was burning, scars no one else would ever be able to see.

She chased the butterflies even after they flew high into the sky, screaming her sister's name, an arm stretched.

She had to keep running. If she stopped, that would be it. She'd have to accept that she had actually killed a human being. She had killed her own sister, and in the end, it had saved everyone. Everyone, except for her.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Exhaustion pulled at her but Mio kept running.

She didn't notice the sun rising beyond the trees, the first light rays she had seen in days.

The trees grew thicker with life, a familiar path she followed subconsciously.

It was terrible, how the day taunted her with beauty when all she could feel was rotting hope.

Mio continued to scream, tears running down her face until they ran dry, forcing her to dry heave.

She never noticed the person in blue standing there, a shocked look on his face when his eyes settled on her.

She never noticed she had run further away from the forest and closer to the public, where the trees were thinner and easier to go through, and where a few red and blue sirens could be seen if you looked through the right areas.

Mio was forced to stop and collapsed to her knees. Her hands gripped into the dirt, shaking her head back and forth. "She's gone…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

The man grew frantic, speaking words through a walkie talkie. Words she couldn't comprehend. Right now, everything felt so cold. Like she had no heat left. Like nothing held her together anymore.

Everything blurred her vision, hazed from the crying and lack of sleep. The world was suddenly much too bright for her liking.

Her gaze flew to the man, a police officer, whose eyes were wide as he took in her appearance. "Mio Amakura."

It was a statement, not a question, and he knelt down next to her. "Everything will be fine."

It took her a long time of staring at him before it registered. It was a person, not a ghost. Or at least she hoped. She honestly didn't know anymore. Mio felt her breath hitch, eyes widening as her thoughts caught up. The realization that hit her would have knocked her off her feet had she not already been grounded. A police officer. He would find out what she had done. She could already feel the bruise forming on her neck. She had killed her sister, and no one knew except for her. She was a murderer. A killer. Someone who had took away a person's life.

"Mayu is…Mayu…" The words were soft and hushed. She grabbed her head, trying to ignore the voices bouncing everywhere.

The voice of her sister, of Chitose, Sae and Yae, Mutsuki and Itsuki, and many other broken thoughts.

No, everything would not be fine. Nothing would ever be fine again.

He was entirely wrong and she couldn't bear to think that everything would simply be fine.

"No…it's…Mayu. I'm so sorry…We were meant to be together. We were supposed to, but I…"

She fell over then. Everything felt all too strange. She felt out of place, suddenly returning to this normal world, where nothing would ever be normal again.

A world without her sister; a world where she knew more than anything that ghosts did exist.

The police officer rushed over, yelling something, but she couldn't hear him. Mio could hear nothing anymore and was thankful for it. She simply wanted to cease to exist. Then, maybe that pain in her chest would go away. Or, perhaps she would wake up from this terrible nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

_Mayu…?_

_Mio gasped in relief, rushing over to her sister, pulling her into a hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"_

_They were by the stream once more, reliving their childhood, the sun lighting the sky._

_For a single moment Mio felt her chest lighten, her heavy heart beating in joy._

_Mayu simply returned the favor and hugged back._

_Her posture was stiff but Mio was far too relieved to notice._

"_We need to leave. Everyone is worried," Mio wrapped her hand around Mayu's, before her sister drew back and looked away._

"_I need to stay here Mio. I cannot go with you." _

"_Mayu…" She reached, a hand outstretched and hanging in the air. _

"_Remember what we promised?" Mayu began gently, smiling and coming towards her. Her hands stretched forward. "We promised…" Suddenly the world flashed and they were in the hellish abyss. The memories came flooding back to Mio, realization dawning her face. Mayu's form jerked and suddenly another stood there. An all too familiar white kimono stained in red. The gentle caress of the little wind that flowed in._

"…_we would always be together. We would become one" She inched forward, Sae and Mayu's voice ringing from the body, as they took hold of Mio's hands. The two as one, pulled Mio's hands tot heir neck, an encouraging smile. _

_Hyperventilating Mio shook her head rapidly and turned to run, only to be blocked by a few priests._

_Habitually she looked for the camera obscura. The one thing that had somehow saved her. A priest reached for her and she turned, eyes widening when she couldn't find her only defense, running straight back into Mayu's arms._

_She was cornered. _

"_Mayu…" Mio turned, staring at the girl, and shook her head. "I can't do this! Not again! I'm sorry! Please Mayu, we need to leave."_

_At this, Sae took over then, her gaze staring directly at the girl. "Together forever. Why do you put me through this?"_

_Before Mio could react Sae had her hands around her neck. It chilled her so much she was sure her blood dropped a few degrees. She clung onto her wrists but couldn't find the strength. She had no more strength. Her vision spun and she felt away, a haunting laugh echoing her dreams._

* * *

Mio's eyes shot open.

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. A terrible nightmare that she couldn't escape even in her sleep.

"…I'm so sorry." Mio cried, rubbing at her eyes.

"What are you sorry for?" A gentle voice spoke, startling her. Her head snapped up to the person. She didn't even realize he had been there.

"Uncle Kei…"

His face softened at that. "It's alright Mio. You will be better soon."

Her uncle was here. Her mother…did they know? Her hands throbbed at the reminder of her doings.

Kei went to reach for her and gently brushed the side of her arm. What he wasn't ready for was Mio flinching back so suddenly. She jumped from the blanket she had been placed under, over the side of the hospital bed, and onto the floor only to end up falling down.

"…Please…Don't…" Mio whispered, breathing heavy and ragged.

"Mio!" Kei rushed to her side. "Mio! It's alright!"

Again she flinched from him, shaking her head. She tried in vain to push him away but he wasn't giving. She allowed him to pull her to her feet. She was too tired to fight anymore. She was tired of taking care of others. She just wanted it all to stop.

"Mio…you feel ice cold." Kei murmured and lead her to the bed. When she was sitting he placed a hand against her forehead, worry creasing his face. "You're burning up! Here," He grabbed a glass of water sitting on the bedside table and all but shoved it into her hands.

She drank a few sips before deciding she didn't want it.

She felt her throat burn from thirst and her body felt sluggish. But she just couldn't care.

It took a while for her to gather the thoughts that she was in a hospital room. That she was no longer in her clothes she had worn into…that place.

She wore a simple blue gown and she had bandages on various parts of her body.

Her eyes grew hopeful and she looked to uncle Kei hoping that all of this _had _just been a terrible dream.

She didn't kill a person.

She wasn't a murderer.

Still, she couldn't deny the soreness on her throat. Or the redness of her hands.

She stared down at them, still holding the water close and shut her eyes.

This had to be a dream.

"…Uncle Kei…She…" Mio couldn't even finish. She looked back at him to see a heartbroken expression. She didn't have to say her name. And he didn't have to say anything for her to become painstakingly aware that this actually had happened.

The glass fell from her hands, shattering on the floor, pieces of shards and water falling everywhere.

Mio's breathing picked up and she grabbed her head again. "She can't be…I'm so sorry…I was supposed to…I was…I-"

She found herself falling once more. Backwards onto the bed and avoiding the sharp pieces beneath her. She felt a sharp pain on her head then her vision clouded, falling into another dream, into another inescapable reality, wondering why on earth this couldn't have ended.

She could barely register her uncle calling her name and then him screaming for a nurse.

She was vaguely aware of something sharp inside her elbow.

The thing she was too aware of, was a crimson butterfly swimming in the sky above her.


	3. Chapter 3

Mio ran.

As usual she found herself running.

Running to nothing in particular.

Towards a goal she could not identify.

Whenever she is afraid she finds herself running.

It had been two months. Two months of dealing not only with the loss and murder of her sister, but her mother's death as well.

She had all but forgotten. If she were to speak honestly, she was never sure Mayu and her would be able to leave that horrid place. She never thought ahead. Her only focus was to get them out. She ran her hope dry and even pushed strong when she lost her will to keep going. Even when her sister had become possessed and ran off so many times. Even when a million ghosts clawed at her skin and clothes, screaming the wrong name, telling her to finish the ritual.

Even when Mayu said they were meant to die separately.

Mayu…That name still sent a dull throb through her chest. The guilt, to her dismay, had not eased in the slightest. She had debated so many times taking her own life and spent her nights restless or dreaming of terrible rituals that claimed people's happiness.

Like a fragile vase she feels her heart is cracked beyond repair. Her emotions can barely stand living on this day to day basis, and every time she feels herself getting better, she falls back into a deeper hole.

Her breathing grows ragged and uneven, both from the exhaustion and the fact that she barely ate or drank anything. She needed to leave though. To be out in the air and away from everything confining.

Running seemed to ease her and provided a distraction. Except for the fact that her shallow breathing brought up thoughts of Mayu being strangled by her own hands.

Finally having enough Mio falls to the ground. The sidewalk scrapes her knees and people stare worryingly at her. It's not too long before she hears a voice reach her. She isn't surprised to hear him.

"Mio!" When he finally catches her he kneels next to her form. He has grown used to her random spurts of running away. She remembers a voice saying it is how she deals with the pain.

"Mio, I know it hurts, but we need to head back. I…I just wish you would talk to me." Her uncle admits in defeat. He was never one to be good with talking and emotions. In a sense, she and her uncle were entirely too alike. She was never good at dealing with emotions either unless they were Mayu's. Her mind only noticed Mayu, her elder sister, and taking care of her after that incident. So when those words fell from his lips she tried to push back the guilt she was feeling, a knot forming in her stomach as she realized how worried she was making her uncle. Yet, it wasn't that easy to simply push away her terrible and painful memories. That awful feeling of what she had done.

Mio shook her head. "I'm sorry. It just happened so suddenly," She voiced.

Kei merely nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Let's head back. Then we can talk."

She had adjusted better to living back in her own time period. Though, nothing would ever be the same again. She found herself in a constant daze.

Little movements from the corner of her eye would send her into a panic attack.

When horror movies came on she'd shake her head and scream, begging for someone to turn it off, no matter how silly they were.

She had sheltered herself entirely to her house and never left.

And when her eyes settled on something belonging to her sister, she'd stare at it, rocking in the corner of her room for hours.

This was what had sent her off, running into the streets to who knew where. Her poor Uncle didn't realize she'd react so violently to a picture of her sister. Even worse, he didn't even realize had had one of both of them stowed away in the cabinet he kept family photos in, and by the time he had figured it out, the front door swung open gently, the only indication that she had ran through it was a soft breeze blowing in.

Her thoughts were jolted when she felt a nudge. Suddenly, they were back at their house, away from the eyes of people silently judging her. She knew she should care, at least a bit, that others saw her as crazy but she couldn't.

Besides, they were right. She was crazy. She was also a killer, and no matter how much the thought haunted her she couldn't find it in her to tell anyone. She had murdered her sister. Her eyes rose to her uncles who gave her a reassuring squeeze. It was the closest thing to a hug she would get from him.

"It's never going to be the same…"

It was a statement, not a question, and a look of worry lit his eyes. "Mio-"

"No. Don't tell me it will get better. Please don't. It's not because I…" She looked away, pain etched into her features and her breathing picking up again. "I think I'd like a nap." Mio frowned, eyes downcast.

She couldn't tell him.

It haunted her to the ends of the earth and she still couldn't tell him.

"Please, I just…I need to rest. I'm just tired."

Truth be told she needed to be alone.

Even though alone was bound to bring her illusions and nightmares, she needed it. Because alone, she could vaguely hear Mayu's voice from the back of her mind, whispering that everything was all right.

* * *

Her uncle could only nod and led her to the stairs and to her room, leaving his only niece inside, alone. He couldn't even begin to describe the pain he felt. One niece had gone missing. He promised he'd take care of them both.

Now he feared the other one he was slowly losing her as well.

Ever since she had been found, without her twin that was never far from her side, she seemed more distant and cold. Like Mayu had taken a piece of her when she wasn't found.

She was being stolen by the ghost of her sister, and, how in the world were you supposed to fight a ghost?

Someone who had already passed?

In his heart he still hoped they'd find Mayu passed out in the woods somewhere.

Even if she were dead, finding the body would be a painful relief. To actually know. To have that proof so you could finally rest, even if it did hurt.

Still, he had found himself moving on well for the moment. Perhaps that was because he chose not to handle emotions. Maybe it was the fact that he had to be strong for Mio, and because she was slowly sinking in her own despair, he hoped he could pull her out.

With no one else to turn to he did what he knew best. He wrote a letter to his best friend, Yuu, writing about things besides his niece to distract him, hoping that indulging in work would temporarily push away everything in life. Inside, he hoped that Mio would open up to him before it was too late.


End file.
